Life in the fast lane--where's the on ramp?

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Saturday, August 20, 2016

School is Now in Session: Write Your Own Story – Fall Term

We started up the group again on Thurs. the 11th. Eleven had signed up, eight actually showed up for the first class. A couple of our writers are traveling or tying up the loose ends of summer projects, remodeling, prepping a house for sale, etc… Two writers from previous years showed up; they were... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, August 19, 2016

Follow-up to comments from yesterday's summary of why Salkum

Kabu asked if I ever got to tell my secret brother what mother said. And I'm sorry but I did not. He passed away of complications of diabetes - which I heard about a month or so after his passing, not long after mom died. I do remember being with my sisters & brothers in Salem, OR after Mom's... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, August 18, 2016

Now we know...

At the time my family moved to Salkum, I thought it was the worst thing that could happen. We had jumped from the proverbial frying pan into the fire. As a 12-year-old kid, I had no say in the matter. But even at that age I could tell that mother's decision was crazy and desperate. The deprivation... Sign in to see full entry.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Salkum Redux - Conclusion

That winter, our first in the Salkum house, we discovered the linoleum rug in the bedroom – the furthest room from the oil heater and the kitchen stove – had become an ice floe. If we missed the slipper as we put a foot out of bed, the linoleum was so cold it burned. Sometimes you could see your... Sign in to see full entry.

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Salkum Redux - part 2

Mom had the puppy house trained very quickly; she’d ‘speak’ when she needed to go outside. Jim hurried to play with her the instant he got home from school, and they were always together. She wasn’t yappy like some small dogs, but if someone walked past the house, she’d alert us with a sharp,... Sign in to see full entry.

Monday, August 15, 2016

Salkum redux...

We accidentally-on-purpose lay low for a while after Mom dragged us back to Salkum. The bullies didn’t realize we were there until the first day of school. Staying out of sight wasn't entirely deliberate: Mom had a lot of chores lined up. For several days we cleaned the house from top to bottom,... Sign in to see full entry.

Sunday, August 14, 2016

Finding Salkum part 10

7. Salkum Redux We didn’t move straight back to Salkum from the Vogel farm. It seems the renters had a one-year agreement, and they weren’t leaving until late August. So we lived for a couple of months in a rent house outside the town of Winlock. The owner was a fire fighter, off for the summer to... Sign in to see full entry.

Saturday, August 13, 2016

Finding Salkum - part 9 --

Spring Thaw In late March there was a break in the weather, the sleet and snow turned to rain. Sam called it the spring thaw. Our pathways to feed the animals and do the chores had been frozen all winter. But when the thaw hit, they became mud-pits, slippery and gooey. Mud sucked at our thick rubber... Sign in to see full entry.

Friday, August 12, 2016

The President's Wall

WACO: SUB-DISTRICT 5: Nov. 10, 2018 Justine set a large coffee mug in front of Milo and poured. “Need room for cream?” she asked. “Please.” Milo reached for the insulated pitcher in the center of the table. The café was crowded with uniformed agents, both male and female, it was rush hour, time for... Sign in to see full entry.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Finding Salkum - good news

One Sunday afternoon in early January the phone rang. it was bitter cold and sleeting outside so we were all in the house. Sam was reading the paper in the kitchen, Ethel was putting the finishing touches on the dining room table after dinner. Rose and Jimmy were playing upstairs, and I had Ethel’s... Sign in to see full entry.

About this Blog

Sometimes you have to write it down in order to learn what you really think about life, what it means, how to do what's best. Sometimes you need feedback from someone else to put things in perspective.

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